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childhood trauma is revealed. As criminals exploit his talents, we readers turn the pagesnot only to watch this young man’s initiation into the underworld, but also to admire hisheroic efforts to remain a decent and moral man. Recommended by Ted BlainThe Art of Fielding by Chad HarbachThis highly acclaimed first novel is constructed around baseball, but it’s notexactly a baseball novel. Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big-league stardomwhen he enrolls at Westish College, on the Wisconsin shore of Lake Michigan. But whena routine throw goes off course, the lives of several people are completely upturned. Inaddition to Henry himself, these include catcher Mike Schwartz, the team captain andHenry’s best friend; Owen Dunne, Henry’s teammate and roommate; Guert Affenlight,the college president and a longtime bachelor who has recently fallen in love; and PellaAffenlight, Guert’s daughter, who has returned home after a very brief failed marriage tostart her life anew. It’s an engaging story, humorous at times and poignant at others, thattouches on ambition, family, friendship, love, and commitment. Recommended by TomParker and Ted BlainThe Third Bullet by Stephen HunterThis book has it all, especially if you’re a conspiracy theorist and a ballisticsfreak. You will enjoy the action, intrigue, and, if you’re a bit hazy on what happened inDallas on November 22, 1963, this book will fill in a lot of gaps. A perfect read for the50 th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.Now You Know by Susan KellyThis novel begins at what the writer herself has described as "Woodberrygraduation," and from there it takes us into the heart of a family tragedy and out the otherside. It's a good read, but it's also a good way to begin thinking about the complicationsthat lie ahead in adulthood.11/22/63 by Stephen KingKing started his career as an English teacher, and in this deservedly acclaimednovel, the master storyteller creates an English teacher who journeys back to the late1950’s in an effort to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Impeccably researchedand rendered, this irresistible novel never fails to entertain. King understands that thebest stories rely on great characters, and you will never regret a minute that you spendwith these. Recommended by Ted BlainThe Dinner by Herman KochThis creepy, unsettling novel unfolds in the course of one single evening whentwo couples meet at a restaurant for dinner. It’s part mystery, part thriller, partpsychological study, and it leaves you feeling slightly squeamish.Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwanIan McEwan’s latest novel arrives in the voice of a woman, a spy for MI6 inBritain during the 1980’s. All of the trademark McEwan touches are here: the deft turn
of phrase, the plot twists, the unreliable narrator, the betrayals, the mordant humor, thevague sense of poetic justice at the end.The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter MosleyPtolemy is losing his memory at 91, but he still has a mystery to solve in thepresent and a promise to keep to a friend who died during Ptolemy’s childhood. Hisprospects begin to improve when 17-year-old Robyn arrives to straighten up his life.Mosley’s literary mystery travels between current violence in a Los Angelesneighborhood and past racism in the South. The tricks of an aging mind create acompelling story. Recommended by Karen BroaddusA Beautiful Place to Die by Malla NunnAn Afrikaner police captain has been murdered in a small South African town in1952, and Detective Cooper must move across groups and color barriers in the localcommunity to find the killer. With the help of a Zulu assistant, Cooper begins to examinethe personal relationships of the captain and the secrets that he kept. Born in SouthAfrica, Nunn is an Australian filmmaker and writer who focuses on the details to create asuspenseful story in a fascinating historical setting. This is a mystery for mature readers.Recommended by Karen BroaddusLast Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’NanThis is a quirky novel that features Manny DeLeon, manager of a Red LobsterRestaurant located at the corner of a run-down mall in New England. The restaurant hasnot been sufficiently profitable, so corporate headquarters has decided to shut it down.On this, its last night of operation, Manny deals with unhappy workers, difficult patrons,and complications in his personal life, all while a blizzard is blanketing the region.Serena by Ron RashSerene she is not. Utterly terrifying from the first page because love doesn'talways turn out as you might wish. The story is set in western North Carolina, well westof Asheville, and the year is 1929. But Serena is the person you'd want leading you in afirefight if you're in the military. Money, brains, power--if you're interested in thosethings you'd be interested in how an empire might be formed beyond Waynesville, N.C.But the high and the low of the county meet in strange ways, from Harvard educatedGeorge Pemberton' s opening with his knife "a thin smile across Harmon's stomach."And you're only on p. 9.The Battle by Patrick RimbaudThis novel is a lightly fictionalized account of the Battle of Aspern-Essling,Napoleon's first defeat, which occurred outside Vienna in May, 1809. The reader followsthe story of the battle through the eyes of a dozen characters. The winner of twoprestigious literary awards, The Battle vividly conveys the nature of Napoleonic warfareand the character of the Emperor and his generals.Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
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Page 4 and 5: Tree of Smoke: A Novel by Denis Joh
Page 6 and 7: he finished high school and moved i
Page 8 and 9: Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Gian
Page 10 and 11: The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conr
Page 14 and 15: Bono met his wife in high school, P
Page 16 and 17: For Readers Who Like a ChallengeWut

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